The Trump campaign isn’t impressed with the journalists set to moderate the presidential debates in the fall.
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Wednesday that Fox News’s Chris Wallace, C-SPAN’s Steve Scully, and NBC’s Kristen Welker will moderate three debates between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“These are not the moderators we would have recommended if the campaign had been allowed to have any input,” campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told NBC. “Some can be identified as clear opponents of President Trump, meaning Joe Biden will actually have a teammate on stage most of the time to help him excuse the radical, leftist agenda he is carrying.”
The Trump campaign provided a list of 24 names it wanted to moderate the debate, including several anchors from Fox News and conservative editorial writers.
Trump campaign presidential debate moderator recommendations (1/3)@BretBaier – Fox@gerardtbaker – Wall Street Journal@MariaBartiromo – Fox Business@ShannonBream – Fox@DavidBrodyCBN – Christian Broadcasting Network @RCamposDuffy – Fox contributor@kevcirilli – Bloomberg
— Emily Larsen (@emilyelarsen) August 5, 2020
Among notable names recommended included Fox’s Harris Faulkner, Maria Bartiromo, Bret Baier, and Bill Hemmer. Hoda Kotb of the Today show, ABC’s David Muir, and CBS’s Major Garrett were also tapped.
Trump has notably sparred with Wallace, accusing him of going easy on individuals within Biden’s camp and trying to grill his administration.
Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said that Biden “looks forward to participating in the debates set by the commission, regardless of who the independently chosen moderators are.”
Wallace will moderate the first debate, which is scheduled for Sept. 29 in Cleveland, Ohio, at Case Western Reserve University. Scully will moderate the second debate, which is on Oct. 15 in Miami, Florida, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Welker will take the third, which is on Oct. 22 in Nashville, Tennessee, at Belmont University.
Susan Page, Washington bureau chief for USA Today, will moderate the vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, which is scheduled for Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah.
